LINCOLN COUNTY SCHOOL WINS A "BLUE RIBBON"

By Jon Mayhew

IRON STATION -- One Lincoln County School is set to receive a national award. Iron Station Elementary School has received the No Child Left Behind "Blue Ribbon Award."

According to Lincoln County Schools' special projects coordinator Balinda Branson, the award program is a national recognition by the U.S. Department of Education.

"The award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to high levels," said Branson. "Schools selected for award model excellence in leadership, teaching, curriculum, student achievement, and parental involvement."

Blue Ribbon Schools are selected based on one of the following assessment criteria:
Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student performance to high level on state tests; and
Schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests or, in the case of private schools, in the top 10 percent of the nation on nationally-normed tests.
In addition to being honored at a ceremony in Washington, DC on October 20-21, 2008, where each school receives a plaque and flag signifying their status, these schools serve as models for other schools throughout the nation.
Due to North Carolina's delay in releasing AYP results in reading, this award is contingent upon Iron Station making AYP in reading and math. The State Board of Education will release those scores in November.